Rdio Program Offers Artists $10 Per New Subscriber; Snoop Dogg, Scissor Sisters Among Early Adopters

Says CEO Drew Larner of the digital service's new initiative: "We're aligning our focus on social music discovery with our fundamental belief that artists deserve to get paid for their work.”

Digital music service Rdio is betting its money on the social media influence of fans, offering music acts $10 for every new subscriber they bring to Rdio through social sharing.

Called the Rdio Artist Program, the "first of a kind program offers a new way for artists to directly earn money from streaming music," says an Oct. 2 release announcing the initiative, which will allow fans the ability to instantly listen along to Rdio via Twitter, Facebook and other online properties.

“There is no art without artists," Rdio's founder Janus Friis, one of the creators of Skype, says in the statement. "As part of this industry, we know a business that doesn’t reward its most important contributors is a business that has to change. The innovation of the Internet should not be a barrier to the success of music artists; it should allow them to be even more successful."

Rdio CEO Drew Larner notes that while there is more music being produced and available than ever before, "It’s incredibly hard to make a living doing it. ... We're aligning our focus on social music discovery with our fundamental belief that artists deserve to get paid for their work.”

Among the artists who've already signed up for the program are: Scissor Sisters, Snoop Dogg aka Snoop Lion, A-Trak and Chromeo and Brendan Benson. The $10 fee, reads the fine print, is good for at least one month.

Founded in Aug. 2010 and headquartered in San Francisco, Rdio is currently available in 14 countries.